Good Morning!

I am looking for a bit of advice, hearing a lot about separated families contacting each other on multiple screen group things.
I’m not very technically wise, and a bit of googling has got me nowhere with some of the terms and different options. A lot seems to be using I-phones. My question is this.....

Can many people link up on one multiple screen On a LAPTOP?

How easy is it, what provider ( correct term?) to use ?

Thanks for any advice in simple language!

Phil in Northampton

Morning Phil,

Last night I downloaded an app called zoom. We used it to do a quiz. It was superb. I think my nephew who was doing the quiz had 40 different groups in it. It is easy to use. You have to register with an email and password but it seemed fine to me.

Alternatively you can group chat on wotsap. We spoke to 4 members of our family the other day on that one.

Also, there is good old FaceTime and kik. I chat to my grandkids using those. Just download the app and follow the prompts.

If you need any further info’, just ask.

Hi mike

Thanks, looked at zoom but don’t think it worked on laptop?

And does it work if some not got I-phone but a Samsung. Also can two people in same room do it separately?

Thanks

Phil

It does work on a laptop Phil as I used it last night. It may be because it is Samsung though not sure. We had 40 people on our group.

For now I would stick to wotsap, we had 4 last week. This morning, my grandson has set up a family wotsap group and there are 12 on it at the moment. That is probably your best option at the moment. Good luck.

WhatsApp group message.

Facebook Messenger group message.

If you want your chats to be more fun, with the addition of inbuilt games and the like, get your loved ones to download an app called house party. Takes 10 minutes or so to feel your way around, but a very good and fun app based on my limited experience.

Good Evening

Thanks guys... been too busy today but will look further into this tomorrow. I will let you know how I get on.

Phil in Northampton

Good Afternoon!

Success!

Lap top sorted with Zoom.. mrs_in_npton delighted to share simultaneous conversations with Emma_in _nttm and Rob_in_npton with their partners in their respective abodes!
Lovely experience all round and something to continue long after all this has gone away!

Phil in Northampton

The only downside with Zoom is if you have a meeting with more than 3 people you are limited to 40 minutes (my wife currently doing a "short hour" of yoga using it) with the free/basic version.

With Skype you get 4 hours I think, then it reverts to voice only. My daughter's scout troop is currently using Skype for up to about 15 to 20 participants for just over an hour a week.

Both are decent.

For those without laptops (w/ or w/o webcams) and those for whom a computer is a no-go area, then there's things like Amazon Echo Show, but you need broadband still.

Edit: Oh yes, and Portal from FaceBook, which has WhatsApp built in, is similar to the Amazon device.

We used Zoom the other day for a trivia night with local friends. Although I was using the free version and expected to be booted at 40mins, I actually got 2 hours done without a hitch. One of the party thought that maybe Zoom have lifted that restriction during the COVID battle.

The JonD Sunday night family quiz was conducted across Zoom featuring a dozen relatives across three countries. We got booted after 40 minutes but had set up a second meeting so we all joined that to conclude the quiz. It was lovely.

Webby wrote:We used Zoom the other day for a trivia night with local friends. Although I was using the free version and expected to be booted at 40mins, I actually got 2 hours done without a hitch. One of the party thought that maybe Zoom have lifted that restriction during the COVID battle.

I know they removed the restrictions for schools during the covid-19 outbreak. They did announce that officially.

And there have been reports of Zoom meetings getting extensions when time started running out, but there's been no official word of any change on that score.

The other thing I'd add to all those people joining in the video meeting lark is to be aware that your webcam can be hacked. So ensure you have good security software installed. And take simple steps by disabling it/covering the lens when not in use.

Do a Google search on e.g. "webcam hacking security" (no quotes!) for things you can do to keep the hackers at bay.

PS: Android user, did you know your phone's camera could be hacked similarly?

Good Afternoon

We’ve only done the one meeting so far, as host, a message flashed up to say time was being extended. I assumed it was a kind of introduction offer.
I think it’s about £11.50 a month for unlimited time ongoing. ( plus other benefits I should imagine)
Also no limit, on the basic free plan, for one to one meetings.
I had great fun as host , with the power!
I managed to mute my brother in law for swearing! Sin binned him!

Phil in Northampton

If there are any professional people who fancy doing some networking during this downtime, let me know and we'll set up a zoom call!